Accordion



2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

(No Model.)

J. P. STRATTON.

ACCORDION.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. F. STRATTON.

ACCORDION.

No. 370,218. Patented Sept. 20, 1887.

VIII/t ATTORNEYS.

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. bass reeds.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. STRATTON, OF BROOKLYN, NEWYORK.

ACCORDION.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0! Letters Patent No. 370,218, dated fieptember 20, 1887.

Application filed May 24, 1887. Serial No. 239,233.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. STRA'ITON, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Accordions, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved accordion which enables the performer to execute in the melody all the notes and chords in the scale with a corresponding harmonious bass in the accompaniment.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of various parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a diagram ofthe melody and Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of my improvement on the line a x of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of part of my improvement on the line y 3 ofFig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the same on the line 2 z of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a like view of the same on the line a a of Fig. 3.

The accordion A is provided with the melody keyboard 13, on which is mounted the regular set of keys O, (i. 6., of a ten-keyed German accordion,) operating the key-valves 0, connected with the reed-valves 0 containing the regular set of reeds O for producing the tones OEG, CEG, OEG of thescale, in which the reeds are tuned when pushing the bellows,and when drawing the bellows the tones DFAB, DFAB are sounded by the sets of reeds 0".

Next to the set of reeds O on the melody key-board B is placed a set of keys, D, for operating the key valves D, connected with the reed-valves D containing the reeds Diwhich produce the tones B D F A B D F A B D when pushing the bellows, and when drawing the bellows, the tones G O E G B O E G O E are sounded by said reeds D.

A third set of keys, E, is placed next to the set of keys D on the melody key-board B. This set of keys E operates, by means of suitable connections, the key-valves E, placed over the (No model.)

reed-valves E containing the reeds E tuned to produce,when pushing or drawing the bellows, the tones A-sharp or Bfiat, Osharp or D-flat, D-sharp or E-flat, Fsharp or G-fiat, G-sharpor A-flat, A-sharp or B-ilat, C-sharp or D-flat, D-sharp or E-fiat, F-sharp or G-flat, G-sharp or.A-fiat, A-sharp or B-flat.

The sets of keys 0 D E are placed in the relative positions shown in the upper part of Fig. 2, so that the performer can easily finger the different keys of one set or a combination of keys of different sets for producing any note in the scale, whether pushing or drawing the bellows, or any desired chord. By playing only on the set of keys 0 the operator produces the same tones as can be produced in the ordinary German accordion, and by play ing the second set of keys D in connection with the first set of keys 0 the operator is enabled to produce all the tones in the scale when both pushing and drawing the bellows. When the operator plays the third set of keys E in connection with the first and second sets of keys 0 and D, he can produce the full chro matic scale or any chord in the said scale. For instance, if the performer plays simultaneously the keys marked 1, 2, and 3 in Fig.

it" 2, then the chord E, G-sharp, B,

is produced when drawing the bellows. By playing alternately on the three sets of keys O, D, and E the performer can produce, both in pushing and drawing, all notes, including flats and sharps, in the scale that is, the full chromatic scale.

The accompaniment-box F of the accordion A is provided with three sets of bass-keys, G, H, and I, of which the first set of accompaniment-keys, G, operates the key-valves G, connected with the reed'valve G, containing the reeds Giwhich produce,when pushing or drawing thebellows, the tones O D E F G A B O that is, the tones of the scale. The second set of accompaniment-keys, H, operates the keyvalves H, connected with the reed-valves H containing the reeds H, which produce, when pushing or drawing the bellows, the tones C- sharp, D-flat; D-sharp, E-flat; F-sharp, Gflat; Gsharp, A-fiat; A-sharp, B-flat. The third set of accompaniment-keys, I, operates the keyvalves 1, connected with the reed-valves 1*, containing the reeds I, which, when pushing the bellows, produce the tones GEG, OEG, FAD, FAD, O, and F, and when drawing the bellows the tones GBDF, GBD, FAD, FAD, G, and F are produced.

The first key, marked 7, (see Fig. 2,) of the set of keys I, produces the notes OEG-that is, the high pitch ofthe tonic chord in pushing the bellows-and the samekey 7 produces the tones GBDF -that is, the high pitch of the domi nant chord when drawing the bellows. The next following key, marked 8, of the set of keys I produces the tones OEGthatis,thelow pitch of the tonic chord in pushing the bellows-and the same key, when drawing the bellows, produces the tones GBDthat is, the low pitch of the dominant chord. The key marked 9 of the set of keysI produces,when pushing and drawing the bellows, the tones FADthat is, the high pitch of the sub-dominant chord. The key marked 10 of the same set of keys prod uccs the tones FAD-that is, the low pitch of the sub-dominant chord, both in pushing and drawing the bellows. The key marked 11 of the set of keys I produces, when pushing the bellows, the tone (D -that is, the tonicand when drawing the bellows the tone G- is produced-that is, the dominantand the last key, marked 12, produces the tone F-that is, the subdominant, in both pushing and drawing the bellows.

Now, if the performer plays in connection with the melody-keys marked 1, 2, and 3, above mentioned and indicated in Fig. 2, the key 18 (see Fig. 2) in the accompaniment sets of keys, the chord and its bass-note are produced.

In like manneriftheperformer plays the melody-keys marked 4, 5, and 6, and the accompaniment-key marked 14, then the following tones are produced:

It will be seen that the performer is enabled to play any accompaniment necessary for and in harmony with the notes and chords of any piece of music containing whatever notes and chords.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an accordion, the combination, with the regular set of melody-keys, key-valves, reed-valves, and reeds tuned to produce the tones ot'the ordinary German accordion, ot'two sets of melody-keys, key-valves, reed-valves, and reeds tuned to produce, when played in connection with the said regular set of reeds, all the notes in the scale, including flats and sharps, whether pushing or drawing the bellows, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an accordion, the set of keys 0, D, and E, the key-valves O, D, and I), the reedvalves 0*, D and E, and the reeds O", D, and E", in combination with the sets of keys G, H, and I, the key-valves G, H, and I, the reedvalves G", H", and I and the reeds G, H", and I, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an accordion, the sets of keys C and I), the keyvalves O and D, the reedwalves 0" and D", and the reeds C and I), in combination with the sets of keys E, the key-valves E, the reed-valves E and the reeds 1Q, substantiall y as shown and described.

4,. In an accordion, the sets of keys G and II, the key-valves G and II, the reed-valves (1 and H and the reeds (1 and II, in combina' tion with the sets of keys I, the key-valves I, the reed-valves I", and the reeds I, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN F. STRATTON.

XVitnesses:

Tnno. G. Hos'rnn, O. Snnowrcrc. 

